Handwriten Letters
by tenshi2708
Summary: Dirk thought that life on his own would be exciting, but he misses his family back home. When Lillian comes into his life she gives him a reason to write home again.
1. Chapter 1

Dirk sighed. He loved delivering mail because he got to visit with so many people, but returning home to no one was hard. It had been a little over two years since he moved out of Zephyr Town. When his brother got married and moved out Dirk actually enjoyed having the house to himself. He could do and eat whatever he wanted; it was an amazing sense of freedom to the young man. Ivan and Gretel regularly visited and Dirk often went to their house for dinner. Gretel was an amazing cook, just like Ivan, so Dirk ate like a king the nights he visited.

Dirk opened his refrigerator. He pulled out a pan of leftover curry and put it on the stove to heat it back up. He smiled as he stirred, Gretel used to make him the absolute best curry. Dirk went to his record player and started it. "Maybe I should get a cat or something," he mumbled to the empty room. "It's too quiet nowadays." Dirk passed by a framed picture of Ivan with his arm around Gretel as she held Annabelle up in her mouse onesie. He ran his finger over it and returned to the stove. Annabelle was a little over a year old when Dirk found out about the postman job and decided to move to Konohana. He frowned as he wondered if she even remembered him. Moving out and starting a new life was so exciting at first, but Dirk didn't realize that he would miss his family so much. He still wrote letters to Ivan, but there simply wasn't much time for either party to pack up and travel to the other town. Lately responses to the letters had begun to dwindle. The last letter Ivan sent was sitting open on the desk, but Dirk didn't have much to write about. It had been almost a month and he couldn't think of enough words to fill a page. Dirk walked to the desk with his supper and picked up a pen.

Dear Brother,

I miss you, all of you. Give Annabelle a kiss from her favorite uncle. Nothing's changed here and sometimes I think nothing ever will. It's lonely in this house all alone

Dirk felt tears pricking at the back of his eyes and he threw the pen down. He finished his curry and went to bed.

~~

The next day was seemingly uneventful but as he was walking to Bluebell's town hall to deliver mail, he saw something that would change everything. There was a woman standing there talking to Rutger. Dirk could hear her laughter ring out as she tucked a stray piece of hair behind one ear. She was obviously not from the area because of the way she dressed, but Dirk noticed that she clutched a dress that was in-style in Bluebell to her chest. Rutger looked up, and seeing Dirk, waved.

"Oh Dirk could you come here please?"

He walked over and smiled at the woman.

"Dirk I want you to meet our new farmer, Lillian. Lillian this is our postman Dirk."

Lillian held out her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she said with a smile and a tilt of her head.

Dirk shook her hand. "Yeah a pleasure." His heart started to beat faster than usual and he found himself a little tongue tied.

Rutger said, "Dirk lives in Konohana but is quite civil because he didn't grow up there."

Dirk inwardly cringed at Rutget's low blow towards Konohana, but he ignored it. "Yeah I grew up in Zephyr Town."

Lillian clapped her hands together. "Oh I've heard of it! That's the place with the best bazaar in the world right?"

Dirk laughed. "Well we like to think so."

Rutger somewhat rudely interrupted, "Well Dirk I really must show Lillian to her new farmhouse before it gets much later."

Lillian gasped, "Oh Dirk is it too late to give you something to deliver?"

Dirk laughed. "No it's alright."

"Oh good I promised my friends that I would drop something in the mail as soon as I got to town." Lillian rummaged through her bag and frowned. "Oh I thought I put those post cards in here."

"Hey if you want I can come to your farm after I finish my rounds and see if you've found them."

"Oh would you!?" Lillian's eyes sparkled. "That's so sweet thank you! I'll see you in a little bit then."

Dirk nodded and watched for a moment as Lillian started to walk with Rutger to the previously abandoned farm on the edge of town. Maybe something like her was all he needed to escape his boring routine.

~~

Lillian was hard to keep track of. The energetic woman was always rushing about caring for her farm, foraging, fulfilling requests, and generally making Dirk's head spin. She was a flash of brown hair and a fluttering peach skirt. She instantly lit up any room she walked into with a radiant smile that made Dirk's heart skip a beat. She quickly made friends with everyone in Bluebell and was eager for more. One day she came bounding up to Dirk as he was making his way back to the mountain pass.

"Hey! Hey Dirk wait up."

He stopped and turned with a smile. "Did you have something else for me to deliver?"

"Ah no I actually need a favor. See a lot of the people here talk bad about Konohana, but I really want to go see it. I was hoping that maybe you could give me a little tour or something since tomorrow is your day off." She dug the toe of her shoe into the dirt and cast her eyes down somewhat timidly as she asked.

Dirk wasn't sure if she was being adorable on purpose or if it just came naturally. "Heh of course. I can even treat you to lunch at the restaurant in town. I think that the people in Konohana are just as nice as the people here if you give em a chance."

Lillian nodded. "I'm just a little afraid to go alone on account of the rivalry. I don't have any reason to dislike the town and if you're anything like the other villagers there I bet I'll like it."

A small blush dusted Dirk's face. "W-well I mean like I said I didn't grow up there but they were really accepting of me right away regardless."

Lillian nodded. "Well I still feel a lot better knowing you will be there with me. Ah I really need to get back to the farm for the night. I'll see you tomorrow, say ten?"

"Sounds good. I'll wait for you at the entrance to town."

Lillian nodded and turned to go home. Dirk stood there with his hand raised in farewell even after she was out of sight. His heart jumped around nervously as it sunk in that she would be spending the entire day with him.

~~

As expected everyone in Konohana were nothing but kind to Lillian. She was her usual cheerful self so what reason would anyone really have to treat her badly. When they stopped at Yun's for lunch Lillian drooled over her menu. "Oh Dirk I haven't even heard of some of these things before but it all looks so good!"

"Oh it all is," he said with a laugh, "I've eaten everything here at least once."

"Well I don't know how I'm going to decide," she said with a bit of a pout.

Dirk smiled. "I have an idea. How about I order a bunch of things for the two of us to split andhave a feast?"

"Hmmmm well only if you promise to get the strawberry candies."

"Alright it's a deal."

~~

Lillian happily swung the bag containing her share of the leftovers as she walked with Dirk back to his house. It wasn't that late and she had already met everyone in town so Dirk hoped that he could convince her to stay for a while. "Hey Lil?"

"Yes?"

"Do you want to hang out for a bit? I can walk you home tonight if you want then too."

She giggled. "Tonight? Just how late to you plan on me staying?"

Dirk blushed. "No I mean I uh-"

"I'm kidding; of course I'll stay for a little while. It's rather lonely at the farm at night anyways."

"What about your animals?"

"Ha you can only carry on a conversation with a dog, chicken, and horse for so long before you get committed somewhere?"

"Admitted?"

"What?"

"Don't you mean admitted? You said committed."

Lillian laughed and threw her free arm into the air. "See!? I'm already losing it!"

Dirk shook his head as he opened the door for her. "Well it gets lonely here too. Sometimes I think about getting a cat or something so there would at least be someone to greet me every night."

Lillian frowned. "Do you have a family in Zephyr?"

Dirk took the bag from Lillian and walked into the kitchen. "Yeah there's a picture over there of them. There's my brother Ivan, his wife Gretel, and their daughter Annabelle. It's kind of an old photo though; Annabelle is a few years older now."

Lillian picked up the picture and smiled. "Oh she's so cute! Ivan and Gretel look really happy too."

"Yeah they fell head over heels for each other."

"So do you write them much?"

Dirk walked over to the table and sat down. "Well not so much anymore. Life around here has gotten really predictable so I guess I don't have a lot to say."

Lillian nodded. "You know my friends called me crazy for moving out here away from the city. Well I'm sure you've noticed that I don't get many letters from them, they don't seem very interested in my new life." She sighed and wrapped her arms around herself.

"What about family?"

Lillian shrugged. "Well my parents died when I was young so I moved in with my great aunt. Her death was one of the reasons I decided to move."

Dirk nodded. "Our parents died too and Ivan raised me."

Lillian smiled but her lips began to quiver and Dirk could see tears forming in her eyes. He quickly stood up and went to her, pulling her to his chest and stroked her hair. She started sobbing and gripped onto the front of his shirt. He didn't say anything, but held her until she was finished.

~~

"Dirk I'm really sorry for today."

"Hey it's no big deal. If you ever need someone to talk to you know where to find me."

Lillian nodded. "I guess I could always drop a letter in the post."

Dirk laughed. "Well yeah but I wouldn't mind just hanging out with you again."

Lillian smiled. "Thank you." She waved as she closed the door to her house and Dirk returned the gesture. He turned to make the trip back to Konohana but his mind was too busy to care about the long trip home. When he got inside his mind was still too busy for sleep, so he sat down at his desk and began a letter.

Dear Brother,

A new woman moved to Bluebell last season. Her name is Lillian and she took over an old farm. I'm impressed at how well she is doing already and she seems to be enjoying her new life. I found out today that she is an orphan too and her great aunt just passed. I held her as she let some more of her grief flow. It was strange to see her cry because she is usually so cheerful, but I wonder how many nights she cries alone in her home.

Dirk paused and sighed. He prayed that she would have a peaceful nights rest and returned to his letter.

~~

When Dirk was with Lillian he didn't feel so alone. They started spending all of his days off together and she even joined him at some of Konohana's festivals. One Sunday she surprised him by quickly kissing his cheek after he escorted her home. Dirk swore he floated all the way back home.

After that day he started holding her hand when they walked together. Soon he was receiving hugs every time they met or parted. She would occasionally sneak in another kiss on the cheek, but always retreated into her house too quickly for him to return the favor.

Letters increased between Dirk and his family, but he also noticed that letters from the city had altogether stopped coming for Lillian. Dirk was troubled. Lillian seemed to be happy, but he knew firsthand what it was like to lose contact with the people you care for. He wanted her to have a family again. He wanted her to be a part of his.


	2. Chapter 2

It was hard to believe that another whole year had passed. Dirk recently received a package from Zephyr containing a blue feather and a note that read "Good Luck!" It was still tucked away in his home where Lillian wouldn't be able to find it. It was of course from Ivan and Gretel and a gentle nudge for Dirk to propose. He wondered if it would be too sudden for Lillian, but part of Dirk knew she would accept it instantly. They had grown very close in the past year and she had eventually let him kiss her back after he got up the nerve to ask her out officially. They were a hot topic for gossip in both towns, but no one seemed to have a problem with the two. The talk consisted mostly of when they would get married and where they would live after.

At the cooking festivals Lillian and Dirk started to introduce villagers from the two towns to each other. At first people were hesitant and resistant to speak with their rivals, but they eventually began to warm up to one another. Eileen had even agreed to start digging out the old tunnel that used to connect the two towns together. This would encourage more interaction between them, and make Lillian and Dirk's visits easier as well.

Dirk had plenty to write to his family about and had even asked Gretel to become pen pals with Lillian. Lillian was excited to have another farmer to talk to and cried out of sheer joy the first couple of times she received a letter back. Dirk sometimes wondered what all they talked about in their letters, but he never asked to read them. Part of him suspected that there would be a lot more girl talk than he needed to worry about.

"Hey Dirk can we stop at goddess pond for a bit on the way back to Bluebell?"

"Yeah sure, when do you want to head up?"

"Hmm well let's just go now! Then we can watch the sunset together," she said with a smile.

Dirk chuckled. "Alright let's get going then."

Lillian clapped her hands and dashed out of the house.

Dirk shook his head and quickly retrieved something from under the bed and slipped it into his bag. "Here goes nothing," he mumbled to himself.

Lillian snuggled up against Dirk as they watched the sun sink lower into the horizon. He had one arm around her waist and was leaning his head on hers. He whispered, "Hey Lil?"

"Yeah?"

"I uh, I've been thinking."

Lillian giggled. "Oh really?"

Dirk laughed. "Yeah really. You know I love you right?"

"Yes."

"You also know that my family loves you?"

Lillian giggled again. "Well I guess."

"Well," Dirk pulled away from her and opened his bag. "I was hoping that you would do me the honor of becoming my wife and joining my family," he said as he pulled a blue feather from his bag and shifted onto one knee.

Lillian's eyes instantly began to leak and she threw her arms around Dirk's neck. They fell backwards as she yelled, "Of Course!"

Dirk wrapped his arms around her waist and held her as tightly as he could. Lillian grunted and tried to wriggle free, but to no avail. "No you're all mine now."

She laughed. "Haven't I been for a while now?"

"Well maybe, but this is different." He loosened his grip so she could wipe her eyes and she took the opportunity to kiss him too.

Lillian was especially hyper the day before the wedding. Dirk didn't see as much of her on his route and he suspected that she was in Konohana talking with Nori about final touches on the wedding dress or something. Dirk checked the farm before he headed back over the mountain, but Lillian was still gone. He laughed and put her animals inside before heading home.

Dirk opened his door and was instantly greeted by an ecstatic Lillian. He asked with a laugh, "Hey shouldn't you be getting your rest for tomorrow?"

"Well," she said while pulling on his hand, "I would but I've got a surprise for you. Think of it as an early wedding present."

Dirk laughed and looked around the room. He suddenly froze and mumbled unsurely, "Ivan?"

"Hey little brother, you didn't think we would miss your wedding did you?" Ivan stepped forwards and took Dirk into a hug.

"H-how did you?"

Ivan laughed. "Well you know how Gretel and Lillian talk all the time now? They worked a few things out."

Dirk turned and pulled Lillian to him. He squeezed her hand and looked back at Ivan. "Where are Gretel and Annabelle?"

"Oh they're at the inn. It's definitely past Anna's bedtime and we wanted her to be in a good mood tomorrow at the ceremony."

Dirk laughed and kissed Lillian on the forehead. "Thank you so much Lil."

She giggled. "You haven't heard all of it."

Dirk looked back and forth between Ivan and Lillian's smiling faces. "What?"

"Oh," Ivan said slyly, "I think the rest can wait until tomorrow."

The wedding was perfect. Lillian looked absolutely beautiful in her wedding gown and Dirk was so glad that his family was there. After the ceremony they gathered together to reveal the rest of the surprise.

Lillian squeezed Dirk's hand. "So Honey you know how I moving all my stuff to the farm in Konohana since we decided to stay in town?"

Dirk looked at her quizzically. "Yeah," he said with a hint of confusion in his voice.

"Well," she continued, "That leaves the farmhouse in Bluebell open."

Gretel chimed in, "And you know I can farm anywhere."

Ivan added, "And I discovered a need for tutors in the area."

The couple exchanged looks and said simultaneously, "We're moving to Bluebell!"

Dirk took a step back. "Y-you're joking."

Gretel shook her head. "Nope, Lillian and I talked about it for quite a while. I was surprised at how convincing she could be in a simple hand written letter."

It didn't take long for Ivan, Gretel, and Annabelle to settle into Bluebell. Dirk and Lillian were enjoying their new home as well. Both families were excited to live close again and spent a lot of time together. Dirk had proudly displayed a new picture on the wall. It had Dirk and Lillian standing next to Ivan and Gretel, with shy little Annabelle clinging to her father. Dirk now smiled every time he passed it and ran his hand along it. He never imagined that a woman could provide him with so much happiness. She brought his family closer to him and saved him from his loneliness. Dirk walked up behind Lillian at the sink and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I love you."

She laughed. "I love you too Dirk."


End file.
